Chess grandmaster accused of 'cheating with anal beads' gets thorough body scan search

6 October 2022, 15:55

A chess grandmaster at the centre of a cheating controversy held his nerve as he faced a thorough search for hidden devices at the US chess championship.

Hans Niemann has refused to back down since reigning five-time world champion Magnus Carlsen publicly accused him of being a cheater last week.

Since then, a 72-page document from Chess.com accused Niemann, 19, found it is "likely" he cheated over 100 times in his online professional career in tournaments as recent as 2020.

It is at odds with Niemann's previous claim that he only cheated twice - once when he was 12 and again when he was 16 - and that he never cheated during an in-person game.

The row has sent shockwaves through the world of chess, giving way to an outlandish rumour that he used vibrating anal beads concealed inside his body to cheat.

Hans Niemann Gets Properly Checked before Entering the Hall!😯|| U.S Chess Championship 🏆

Still, the American player is holding his nerve, even if he had to undergo airport-style security at the US Chess Championship yesterday at St Louis, Missouri.

A livestream of the event showed an official scanning people with a metal detector, with Niemann had a moody expression on his face as he waited for his turn.

The official carefully hovers over Neimann's backside, despite not doing the same to Jennifer Yu, the woman ahead of him in the queue.

Chess fans on Reddit joked about the official whipping out the latex gloves and taking him to a back room for a more intimate search.

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One user commented: "Yeah, but he basically has said he put his cheating behind him. Security was making sure that wasn't a literal statement."

Another added: "Can't wait for the edit where someone adds a beeping sound when the detector gets close to Hans' ass."

Following the awkward entrance, Neimann went on to beat 15-year-old Christopher Yoo in the opening round of the championship.

In a post-game interview he said he was "not going to back down", adding: "I’m going to play my best chess here regardless of the pressure that I’m under, and that’s all I have to say about this game. Chess speaks for itself, that’s all I can say."